Schieffer to launch Gubernatorial Bid Wednesday; Declares state suffers from 'Crisis in Leadership'

Tom Schieffer (0.00 / 0)

Saw the interview this morning. I do believe he is rather bland. I wish he would talk more about his personal experiences and not sound so programmed with his responses.

---

by: Elsbeth @ Sun Jun 21, 2009 at 15:16:43 PM CDT

Also saw this today (3.00 / 1)

in the Dallas Morning News.

UTA scholar heads to D.C. for internship program

Todd Hill, a local political activist and co-founder and immediate past president of the Mid-Cities Democrats, received the Bill Archer Fellowship through the University of Texas at Arlington. The Archer Fellowship is a highly competitive internship program given to political science majors within the UT system. Hill will intern at the White House communications office, Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee or the Department of Homeland Security.

---

by: Elsbeth @ Sun Jun 21, 2009 at 15:20:24 PM CDT

HEY! (3.00 / 1)

How about that?  I didn't even know that was in there.  Way cool.  Thanks for catching that information and sending it along, Elsbeth! :)

Todd

"You must be the change you wish to see in the world." - Mahatma Gandhi

---

by: Todd Hill @ Sun Jun 21, 2009 at 19:18:53 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

Maybe we wouldn't have had the crisis (3.00 / 1)

If people like Tom Schieffer hadn't bailed out on the party (other than his much touted abilities as a primary voter, I mean) for the last 20 years.

I don't know why he has any explaining to do w/r/t his personal relationship with George Bush. His personal and business relationships are his business.

The explaining he has to do is why he can suddenly just decide to come out as a public Texas Democrat after a couple of decades of silence and expect to be handed the banner of the party.

---

by: Rahm McDaniel @ Mon Jun 22, 2009 at 12:55:55 PM CDT

the schieffer/bush family relationships (0.00 / 0)

actually do matter.

This guy may be a Democrat but he's not the sort of Democrat we need to lead the state / party.

Given that, the office of governor may be a perfect spot to stash him, since everybody knows the real power is down the hall with the Lite Guv.

Speaking of which ... we got any hope on the horizon for somebody in that slot? Hightower, maybe?

---

by: BlackSheep1 @ Mon Jun 22, 2009 at 13:49:42 PM CDT

His background (0.00 / 0)

His service under Bush aside, do we want someone running our state that hasn't been involved in TX politics (aside from working on a few campaigns) since before many of us were born? No offense older readers, but you get my point I hope.

I don't want politicians who live in the past. When I listened to Scheiffer, and even John Sharp, it is like a frat boy talking about the good ol' days that they want everyone else to relive. Unfortunately, we don't live in the 70s and 80s anymore, and living in the past is what killed the Democratic Party in the first place.

I need to hear more from the candidates before I have a horse in the race.

www.stonewalldemocratsofdentoncounty.org

---

by: John McClelland @ Mon Jun 22, 2009 at 15:48:09 PM CDT

Well... (0.00 / 0)

Rumor is that Hurta is a frat boy and as a frat boy alumni myself I can tell you that he most likely loves him some 80s.  

Frat Boys:
Chris Bell
John Kerry
Max Sandlin
Mark White
Sam Nunn
Steny Hoyer
Lloyd Bentsen

I am tired of spending more than two minutes on this project so I will stop the list here.  

John, if you have some time, take a look at the ethics website and see if some of the highest democratic donors are not just frat boys themselves.  

I also think it is funny that you blast Schieffer and then say you want to hear more from him before you make a decision.  Would it not make more sense to hear everything he has to say and hear where he stands on policy issues before you blast him?  Who knows - maybe you wont want to blast him after that but at least you would hear it all first.  

---

by: Grubejs @ Mon Jun 22, 2009 at 17:40:45 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

Hear it all, first? (0.00 / 0)

Being in a fraternity is certainly a high calling in life. It can be the high point for many, apparently. Insofar as "listening" to Schieffer, I've listened to him, but it's really hard. Being in a fraternity is certainly not a disqualifer for holding political office and there's no reason it can't be an asset.

The HUGE reality is, Tom Schieffer was a big part of the Bush fraternity for 8 awful years and that's not a small matter. (I wonder how many conversations he had with Karl Rove in that time?)

It's a big problem.

Actually, maybe he's a decoy. Stranger things have happened in the Rove-Inspired Republican Party of Texas. As for me, I just think there's something odd about all of it. :)  

---

by: Elsbeth @ Mon Jun 22, 2009 at 19:42:57 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

If the problem with Schieffer is his time in the Bush Administration (0.00 / 0)

Let's hold him accountable on it then.

While he was in the administration, what did he carry out in a way that was unbefitting of the Democratic party? As in what did he do as Ambassador to Japan and Australia that was wrong and we need to hold him accountable towards?

We can't blame an ambassador for passing No Child Left Behind or instigating the Iraq War.

---

by: trowaman @ Mon Jun 22, 2009 at 21:53:13 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

now now (3.00 / 1)

check schieffer's record on pitching the iraq war. some could argue that he played a role.

---

by: colin @ Mon Jun 22, 2009 at 22:16:22 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

Do U.S. Ambassadors (0.00 / 0)

carry out their own policies or the policies of the administrations they represent? Mr. Schieffer has never gone on record (that I can find) as being in disagreement with Bush's foreign policies. I can't imagine him lasting 8 years and in two ambassadorships if he did disagree.  And now he wants to represent Texas Democrats as our candidate for Governor? Who are these Democrats that are going to support him?  

---

by: Elsbeth @ Mon Jun 22, 2009 at 23:32:48 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

As Ambassador to Japan (0.00 / 0)

from an April 5, 2007 news story:

On January 24 at the Japan Press Club, Kyuma said, ``President Bush went to war on the presumption that there might be nuclear weapons. That decision was wrong.''

The comments, and remarks days later by Foreign Minister Taro Aso calling U.S. policy in Iraq ``naive,'' caused Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to tell his ministers to watch their words. The criticism of the U.S. indicated dwindling support for the war from its closest ally in Asia.

U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney asked not to meet with Kyuma during his Tokyo visit in February because of the remarks, Kyodo News reported, a charge the defense minister denied. Kyuma will visit the U.S. at the end of month and meet with Defense Secretary Robert Gates for the first time.

[...]

U.S. Ambassador to Japan Thomas Schieffer said last month that Japan should increase its military spending, which has declined every year for the past five. Japan has an unofficial cap to keep defense spending at no more than 1 percent of gross domestic spending. Kyuma said breaking that custom would be difficult. [emphasis added]

---

by: Elsbeth @ Tue Jun 23, 2009 at 00:17:59 AM CDT

[ Parent ]

I did (0.00 / 0)

He spoke at the Denton County/Collin County Fish Fry last Friday, so I did hear what he said, thus my opinion. I also heard from Sharp and White. Nor is this the first time I have heard from them.

And I think you missed the frat boy metaphor went completely over your head. I don't care if they're frat members or not. The point being is that they are reliving their "glory days". Would it had been better that I said they were washed up football players?

If pointing out that they all seem to be living in the past is "blasting" them, then I take pride in my blasting. I'd rather we look at the future instead of running on old ideas.

www.stonewalldemocratsofdentoncounty.org

---

by: John McClelland @ Tue Jun 23, 2009 at 14:09:07 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

I feel (0.00 / 0)

that you took a cheap shoot at group of people and were attempting to stereotype.  Several people I pointed your post out to felt that it came across in the same way.  

I am more than positive that Texas will vote for a democrat but to do so you need to pull in voters that normally don't vote that way or are tired of republican politics.  Thus, you need to pull in votes from all over the place - including those that want to relive the "glory days."  

Bottom line is that I felt you took a cheap shot and I took offense to it.  Not something I want to hear from someone who ran as a democrat for public office and who I am assuming will run again.      

---

by: Grubejs @ Tue Jun 23, 2009 at 14:34:23 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

Yawn! (3.00 / 1)

Wake me when the Texas Democratic Party gubernatorial sweeps are over!

---

by: texun @ Mon Jun 22, 2009 at 15:57:04 PM CDT

Hopefully... (3.00 / 2)

...a newer breed of Democrat will emerge to challenge Schieffer and we can have an intelligent debate about what matters.  Not whether he was right or wrong to serve in the Bush administration but the old "we must reach out to Republicans in order to win" philosophy that dominates Schieffer's way of thinking.  I think we need to make more people want to be Democrats so we can be the majority party and push forward Democratic ideals.  And, lord knows, the Republican party is certainly helping us in making more people want to be Democrats. I also think Rahm's point above is well taken about the fact Schieffer disappeared for 20 years and now wants the top office.  I think that's a legitimate issue not just for Schieffer but other Democratic candidates as well; now that the Democratic Party is doing better, we have a lot of newfound friends.  And I think those who were in the trenches when things weren't so great - the Doggetts, the Edwardses, the Bells, the Frosts, the Dunnams, the Colemans, the Thompsons, the Noriegas, the Shapleighs of the world, just to name a few examples - fighting like hell - need to be listened to now that a brighter day has arrived.  Those who brought us to this point shouldn't be forgotten.  

---

by: politicsforjim @ Tue Jun 23, 2009 at 07:56:40 AM CDT

[ Parent ]